The Secret of Mind, Intellect, and Consciousness

At that time, Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Vast Wisdom said to the Buddha, "World-Honored One, the World-Honored One has spoken of 'bodhisattvas skilled in the secret of mind, intellect, and consciousness.' What makes someone a bodhisattva skilled in the secret of mind, intellect, and consciousness? On what basis does the Tathāgata designate someone as a bodhisattva skilled in the secret of mind, intellect, and consciousness?"

When he had said this, the World-Honored One told Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Vast Wisdom, "Good, good, Vast Wisdom. You are now able to ask the Tathāgata about such a profound meaning. You have raised this question wishing to benefit and bring happiness to immeasurable sentient beings, out of compassion for the world and for devas, humans, asuras, and others, so that they may obtain benefit, welfare, and happiness. Listen carefully. I will explain to you the meaning of the secret of mind, intellect, and consciousness."

"Vast Wisdom, you should understand this. Among the various sentient beings in birth and death across the six destinies, beings fall into their particular communities of sentient beings. Whether born from eggs, born from wombs, born from moisture, or born by transformation, when the parts of the body arise, there, from the very beginning, the mind-consciousness containing all seeds matures, turns onward, combines, increases, and expands.

"It depends on two appropriations. First, it appropriates the material faculties and the supports on which they depend. Second, it appropriates the habitual tendencies of characteristics, names, discrimination, language, and conceptual proliferation. In the form realm, both appropriations are present. In the formless realm, the two are not both present.

"Vast Wisdom, this consciousness is also called the ādāna-consciousness. Why? Because this consciousness follows along with the body and grasps and holds it. It is also called the ālayavijñāna. Why? Because this consciousness takes up the body, is hidden and stored within it, and shares its safety and danger. It is also called mind. Why? Because through this consciousness, form, sound, smell, taste, touch, and the rest are accumulated and nourished."

"Vast Wisdom, because the ādāna-consciousness serves as support and establishment, the six bodies of consciousness turn: eye-consciousness, ear-consciousness, nose-consciousness, tongue-consciousness, body-consciousness, and mental consciousness.

"Here, there is consciousness: with the eye and form as conditions, eye-consciousness arises. Together with eye-consciousness, following along with it, at the same time and with the same object, a discriminating mental consciousness turns. There is consciousness: with ear, nose, tongue, and body, together with sound, smell, taste, and touch as conditions, ear-consciousness, nose-consciousness, tongue-consciousness, and body-consciousness arise. Together with those consciousnesses, following along with them, at the same time and with the same object, a discriminating mental consciousness turns.

"Vast Wisdom, if at that time one eye-consciousness turns, then at that time there is only one discriminating mental consciousness turning with the same field of activity as eye-consciousness. If at that time two, three, four, or five bodies of consciousness turn, then at that time there is only one discriminating mental consciousness turning with the same field of activity as the five bodies of consciousness.

"Vast Wisdom, it is like the flow of a great torrent. If the conditions for one wave to arise are present, only one wave turns. If the conditions for two waves, or many waves, to arise are present, many waves turn. Yet this torrent itself, as its own kind, constantly flows without interruption and without end.

"Again, it is like the surface of a well-polished mirror. If the conditions for one reflection to arise are present, only one reflection appears. If the conditions for two reflections, or many reflections, to arise are present, many reflections appear. It is not that this mirror surface transforms into the reflections, nor can any exhaustion of its capacity for use be found.

"In this way, Vast Wisdom, because the ādāna-consciousness, like a torrent, serves as support and establishment, if at that time the conditions for one eye-consciousness to arise are present, then at that time one eye-consciousness turns. If at that time the conditions for up to five bodies of consciousness to arise are present, then at that time the five bodies of consciousness turn."

"Vast Wisdom, in this way a bodhisattva, relying on and established by wisdom that abides in Dharma, is skilled in the secret of mind, intellect, and consciousness. Yet the Tathāgatas do not, merely on this basis, designate such a one as a bodhisattva skilled in every secret of mind, intellect, and consciousness.

"Vast Wisdom, if bodhisattvas, inwardly and individually, do not truly see ādāna and do not see the ādāna-consciousness; do not see ālaya and do not see the ālayavijñāna; do not see accumulation and do not see mind; do not see eye, form, and eye-consciousness; do not see ear, sound, and ear-consciousness; do not see nose, smell, and nose-consciousness; do not see tongue, taste, and tongue-consciousness; do not see body, touch, and body-consciousness; and do not see mind, dharmas, and mental consciousness, this is called a bodhisattva skilled in the ultimate meaning. The Tathāgata designates such a one as a bodhisattva skilled in the ultimate meaning.

"Vast Wisdom, only this is called being a bodhisattva skilled in every secret of mind, intellect, and consciousness. Only on this basis does the Tathāgata designate such a one as a bodhisattva skilled in every secret of mind, intellect, and consciousness."